A recent report from insiders at Canon suggests that the company will opt for a significant firmware update to the Canon R5, rather than develop a Mark II variant at this juncture.
The report pours cold water on the speculation that an R5 Mk. II would be coming out in 2023, and will instead be earmarked for a 2024 release.
Image Credit: Canon
The Canon R5 was released in July 2020, alongside the R6. The full-frame mirrorless camera has a 45MP CMOS image sensor and is capable of capturing 8K video at 30 frames per second, and 10-bit 4K video at up to 60 fps.
The R5 also enjoys Dual Pixel AF II autofocus with 1053 autofocus points and 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization.
Initially rumored as being delayed in order to time it to again release alongside its R6 II, the new R5 timeline suggests that Canon will opt to release an R5 Mk. II with the much-anticipated flagship R1 mirrorless camera sometime around the beginning of 2024.
Until then, a “major firmware update” is planned for April, which will bring new functionality to the R5, just in time for NAB.
The update is believed to be adding several new features including lens breathing correction, a pre-shooting buffer, and the elimination of the 30-minute video recording limit.
There will also be expanded focus tracking for more animals and vehicles such as bikes, trains, and planes.
The inside report also says that Canon is planning several brand new features that aren’t found in any R series model, though the rumor falls short on details as to what that could actually include.
Moreover, the new upgrades planned for the R5 may or may not be coming to the cinema-centric R5C, though it would seem to make some sense that Canon’s planned major update should be compatible.
With NAB right around the corner, we won’t have long to wait to find out. Until then, keep watching this space for any new details which may leak out. Because if these new features are coming, now may be a good time to invest in the R5.
[source: Canon Rumors]
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